Safety device for elevators



Nnv. 4, 1930. N. SCARPA ,1,780,568

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS Filed June 22, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l )j @uve/nto@ @13 Y @tto/014% NoX". 4, 1930. 4- N, SCARPA 1,780,568

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS A Filed June 22, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 4, 193@ SAFETY DEVCE Application filed .Tune 22,

rlhis invention relates to safety devices for elevators, and more particularly to safety devices for elevators employed for carrying building materials in buildings which are in the course of construction.

@ne of the objects of the invention is to provide a safety device adapted to prevent movement of the elevator from a iaioor of the building while the elevator is in use at that floor and to thereby safeguard the worlnnen. Another object is to provide device of the above nature which is practical and thoroughly ecient. Another object is to provide a device of the above nature which is simple in construction. Other objects will be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of ele ments, and arrangements of parts as will be exemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

ln the accompanying drawing in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of this invention,

Figure l is a perspective view of a switch mechanism associated with the elevator;

`Figure 2 is a sectional view showing portions of the mechanism in larger detail;

Figure 8 is a detailed view of a circuit-clos ing` or switch member, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view illustratingl a portion of a building in the course of construction and showing the electric circuits of the safety device.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

As conducive to a clearer understanding of this invention, it may be here noted that, while Va building is in the course of construction, a. temporary elevator is employed for hauling building materials to the upper floors. The elevator is driven by a suitable mechanism controlled by an engineer on the ground. l.When a worlnnan at a particular floor wishes to use the elevator, he signals the engineer and the engineer sends the elevator up to that floor. There is a real danger ente 1a. m

1827'. Serial No. 290,744.

countered in the use of these elevators by reason of the ct that the ei gineer does not always know when the ..vorlrinen are through using the elevator' and he is apt to move the elevator up or down in response to a signal from another ifioor, the worlnnen at the other iioors having` no means of lrnowing that the elevator is in use. lt is one of the dominant n ention to provide a mechationen door o 1acentto the the buildin an intermedi .te portion. Collars 2" upon the shaft 8 hold the shaft again gitueinal movement in the bracliets. shaft S passes through a yoke ll with whicl it is in threaded engL t By rotatinI shaft t3 by means of the crank Q9, the 'tion or the yoke ll nay be adjusted t or transversely thwise of the shaft of the direction of movement of the elevator. his shown in Figure 2, the yolre 1l is proith a pair of rearwardly projecting f which take over a Guide le secured to i supporting plate l bj neans of screws *i The guide le pennits the yolre li to .,lide in direction thwise of the shaft and holds the sain ient.

livoted upon the volte ll by means of a pin 'l2 is an upwrik arm i3 which carries at Mounted upon the is a contact memb two flat springs el: 'nore clearly shown in Figure e. to the upper portion of the supporting plate l by means of screws 17 and 1S is an insulating bracket sing preferablv 2O upon which are mounted a pair of spaced cont-acts 19. A spring 40 secured to the arm 13 bears against the supporting plate 1 and normally holds the arm 13 outwardly so that the contact member 41-42 is out of engagement with the contacts 1 Secured upon the elevator platform 7 is a cam 26. The arm 13 is held in such position by the sprintY 40 that the roller 25 is in the path of the cam 26. -lVhen the ele-V the contacts 19. When the device is not in use, the roller v may be Vmoved out ot the path of the cam by-turning the shaft 8 by means of the crankV 29. Also, the position ot the roller 25 may be adjusted accurately Vse .iii

into the path ot the cam by rotating the .shaft 8, rthereby rendering unnecessary ei;-

actly accurate positioning of the support 1 upon the supporting member 6. Y The flexibility of the spring contacts 19 and ot the contact members 41-42, Vand the outwardly tapering of the opening between the contacts 19 permits a certainlatitude 'of adjustment. v f

Connected to the respective contacts 19 are a pair of wires 20 and 21. Referring now to Figure 4 of the drawings, there are illustrated two floors of a building under construction. At each of these floors is positioned one of the supports 1havinfrthereon the mechanism above described. The elevator 7 is shown positioned at the second floor. Qn the ground is the machinery 40 which is operated by the engineer to raise or lower the elevator. Considering the mechanism at the lower iioor, lthe wire 21 which is connected to one ot the contact members 19, is connected to a lead 23 which passes upwardly through the building. The wire v2O, connected to the other of the contact members 19, is connected to a supply wire24 which passes upwardly through the building and which comes directly from a source oi' electrical supply. The other supply wire of the circuit is' the wire 32 which passes upwardly through the building alongside the wire 24. At a convenient position adjacent to the elevator shaft is positioned a box in which is contained an electric light 3()a in back of a window having thereon suitable warning indicia, such as Bont pull chain, as illustrated or other legends indicating that the elevator is Vin use. One side of' this electric light is connected by the lead 33 withthe supply wire 32. The other side of the electric light is connected by the wire 35 to the wire 23. Thus, when the elevator reaches any licor all ot' the warning signals, one on each floor, are illuminated.

Lacasse The box 30 contains also a switch means such as a pull switch 31a operated, for eX- ample, bythe pull chain 31. One sidev of this switch is connected by a lead 44 with a wire 43 passing upwardly through the building. The other side of this switch is connected by a wire 36 with the supply wire 24. The wire 43 leads to one side of an electric light 37 positioned on the ground adjacent to the' engineers'station. The vother side of this light 37 is connected by the wire 39 tothe supply wire 32. By means of the switch operated by the chain 31 a workman on any door signals Yto the engineer.

By the above described arrangement, actua'- ltion of' any ofthe switches 31a which are: connected in lparallel across the signal,A circuit 24, 36, 44, 43, 39, '32', closes said circuit and actuates the operators signal 37. Thereafter, upon closing of any one of the elevator' controlled switches 19, which are connected in parallel and in an indicator'circu-it 20, 21, 23,

v35, '33, v32, kwhich indicator circuit is connected inparallel relation across the sional circuit, the indicator circ-uit is closed, and all o1 the indicating devices 30a, which are connected in multiple relation in said circuit, are actuated. 'Y

Considering now more particularly the operation o1? this apparatus, let it be assumed that the elevator is at the ground floor and that a workman on the third floor wishes to use the elevator. The workman pulls the chain 31 to thereby operate the switch within the box 30 as many times as will be necessary Vto cause the'engine'ers lamp 37 to be flashed three times, the last pull on the chain closing the switch for continued illumination of the said lamp 37. VThe engineer sees this light and sends the elevator up. When the elevator reaches and is stopped at the floor where its use is desired, the cam 26 holdsthe arm 13 inwardly, completing a circuit through the lamps contained within the boxes 30. At each ioor ot the buildingthe warning, sign Dont pull chain is'now illuminated and remains illuminated as long as the elevator remains at a floor. This indicates to and warns workmen on the otherV floors that the elevator is in use and that it is not available to them, so that they may occupy themselves in other duties until the elevator isy ready for their use. However, even though a workman on another floor' should not notice the warning and should attempt to signal the eu- Y gineer, he is not able' to do sohecause the engineers signal light 37 isalready lighted.

lhen the workman is through vusing the elevator he again pulls the chain 31, opening the switch within the box 30, thereby extinguishing the engineers signal light 37 and notifying him that the elevator is free. The engineer will then movethe elevator-to the ground or else to a positionintermediate floors so that the lights within the boXes are extinguished.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that there is herein provided a device which achieves the objects of this invention and accomplishes results of practical value. lVhen the elevator is in use at any floor the workmen on the other floors are confronted with a notice to that effect, constituting a dependable warning and hence a valuable safeguard.

As many possible embodiments may bc made of the above invention and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

l claim as my invention:

l. ln a safety device for elevators, in conibination with an elevator used in building construction work and controlled by an operator on the ground, a signal circuit, means in said circuit including switch means on f each floor adjacent the elevator for informing the operator of the door on which the elevator is desired for use, an indicating device at each iioor adjacent the elevator for indicating when the elevator is in use, an electric circuit for said indicating devices and connected in parallel across said signal circuit, said devices being connected in multiple relation in said indicating circuit, a switch positioned adjacent each rloor level and adjacent the path of the elevator at each floor, each of said switches being connected to said indicating circuit, and operative, when closed, to close said circuit, and means carried by the elevator and operable, when the elevator reaches the floor in accordance with said signal, to close said switch at that floor, thereby to actuate all said indicating devices.

2. In a safety device for elevators, in combination with an elevator used in building construction work and controlled by an operator on the ground, an electrical signal adjacent the operator to inform him of the floor on which the elevator is desired for use, a circuit therefor, a plurality of circuit closing means in said circuit, one disposed -on each floor adjacent the elevator and operative to actuate the signal, an indicating device at each floor adjacent the elevator for indicating when the elevator is in use, an electric circuit for said indicating devices and connected in parallel across said signal circuit, a switch positioned adjacent each floor level and adjacent the path of the elevator at each floor, each of said switches being connected to said indicating circuit, and operative, when closed, to close said circuit, and means carried by the elevator and operable, when the elevator reaches the ioor in accordance with said signal, to close said switch at that floor, thereby to actuate all said indicating devices.

3. In a safety device for elevators, in combination with an elevator used in building construction work and controlled by an operator on the ground, an electric signal adjacent the operator to inform him of the floor on which the elevator is desired for use, a circuit therefor, a plurality of circuit closing means connected in parallel across said circuit, one arranged on each licor adjacent the elevator to actuate said signal, an indicating device at each floor adjacent the elevator for indicating that the elevator is in use, an electric circuit for said indicating devices and connected in parallel across said signal circuit, said devices being connected in multiple relation in said indicating circuit, a switch positioned adjacent each Afloor level and adjacent the path of the elevator at each floor, each of said switches being connected to said indicating circuit, said switches being connected in parallel, and operative, when closed, to close said circuit, and means carried by the elevator and operable, when the elevator reaches the floor in accordance with said signal, to close said switch at that floor, thereby to actuate all said indicating devices.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 18th day of J une, 1927.

NUNZIU SCARPA. 

